(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to signal distribution systems and, more particularly, to audio/visual/data signal distribution systems that distribute satellite signals typically in conjunction with standard terrestrial and/or cable signals to a plurality of individual receivers within one or more multiple dwelling units.
(b) Description of Related Art
Audio/visual/data (A-V) signal distribution systems generally rely on either a cable network or on free-space propagation for delivering A-V signals, such as television signals, to individual users or subscribers. Cable-based A-V signal distribution systems transmit one or more individual A-V signals or "channels" over wire, while free-space propagation systems transmit one or more channels over-the-air, i.e., in a wireless manner. Most large-scale cable and wireless signal distribution systems broadcast a broadband A-V signal having a plurality of individual A-V signals modulated onto one or more carrier frequencies within a discernable frequency band.
Some wireless signal distribution systems use one or more geosynchronous satellites to broadcast a broadband A-V signal to receiving units within a large geographic area while other wireless systems are land-based, using one or more land-based transmitters to broadcast to individual receiver units within smaller geographic areas or cells. A satellite A-V signal distribution system generally includes an earth station that compiles a number of individual A-V programs into a broadband signal, modulates a carrier frequency band with the broadband signal and then transmits (uplinks) the modulated signal to one or more geosynchronous satellites. The satellites amplify the received signals, shift the signals to different carrier frequency bands and transmit (downlink) the frequency shifted signals to earth for reception at individual receiving units.
The uplink and downlink broadband signals of analog satellite systems are typically divided into plurality of transponder signals, each typically containing a single analog signal. For example, analog satellite systems operating in the so-called "C-band," i.e., between 3.7 GHz and 4.2 GHz, may broadcast a plurality of transponder signals, each including a single frequency modulated analog T.V. channel. In current digital satellite systems, each transponder typically contains a number of individual channels multiplexed into a single data stream, commonly referred to as a program multiplex. Satellite systems may also broadcast a set of transponder signals at multiple polarizations, for example, at a right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) and at a left-hand circular polarization (LHCP), within the band of carrier frequencies associated with the satellite, effectively doubling the number of channels broadcast by the system.
Satellite signal distribution systems exist for many frequency bands, including the so-called "Ku-band." One known Ku-band direct-to-home satellite system now in operation uses an uplink signal having 16 RHCP transponder signals and 16 LHCP transponder signals modulated onto frequency bands between about 17.2 GHz and about 17.7 GHz. Each of these 32 transponder signals is program-multiplexed to include digital data packets associated with e.g. about five to eight or more individual A-V programs, such as television channels, and is modulated according to a quartenary phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation scheme. The satellites associated with this system shift the uplink transponder signals to carrier frequencies ranging from approximately 12.2 GHz to approximately 12.7 GHz and transmit these frequency-shifted transponder signals back to earth for reception at each of a plurality of individual receiver units.
At the individual receiver units, a receiving antenna, typically comprising a parabolic dish antenna, is pointed in the general direction of the transmitting satellite (or other transmitting location) to receive the broadband QPSK modulated multiplex of A-V signals. Typically, such antennas include a low noise block (LNB) which amplifies, filters and shifts the incoming signal to an intermediate frequency band, such as L-band (between about 1.0 GHz and 2.0 GHz). The representative system, in particular, shifts the satellite signal to the frequency band between about 950 MHz and about 1450 MHz.
Typically, only the RHCP transponder signals or the LHCP transponder signals are mixed down to L-band, depending on which particular A-V channel a user is viewing. However, in systems having a two-channel LNB, both the RHCP and the LHCP transponder signals may be individually shifted down to a 500 MHz portion of L-band (e.g. between 950 MHz and 1450 MHz) and provided, via separate lines, to a set-top box or other integrated receiver/decoder (IRD) associated with the receiver unit. At the IRD, an A-V program associated with a particular channel within one of the program-multiplexed transponder signals is decoded and provided to a television or other presentation or processing device for display and/or for processing of transmitted data, audio output, etc. However, because cable lines are inherently frequency limited, typical cables used at receiver sites (such as RG-6 and RG-59) are not capable of simultaneously transmitting all of the received satellite signals (1000 MHz) along with standard CATV signals to the IRD.
Furthermore, the receiving antennas or dishes associated with land-based or satellite-based wireless signal distribution systems are typically large and cumbersome. For example, C-band satellite dishes are generally in the range of four to five feet in diameter and, therefore, require a large amount of operating space. As a result, it can be difficult, if not practically impossible, to install a receiving antenna for each individual unit within a multiple dwelling unit (MDU), such as an apartment, condominium or townhome complex. Reception of a particular satellite signal is made even more difficult in MDUs when, as is generally the case, some of the individual dwelling units therein do not have any walls or outside exposure facing the direction in which the receiving antenna must be pointed, or these dwelling units are shadowed by surrounding buildings or other obstructions.
In the past, these disadvantages have been overcome by placing one or more receiving antennas on, for example, the roof of an MDU and then running cable to each of the individual dwelling units. For example, a system for redistributing a single, off-air signal to multiple buildings in a small geographic area is disclosed in Japanese Patent Document No. 56-47183. However, common L-band multi-user distribution solutions typically used to support single dish antenna systems are fraught with installation and maintenance problems. For example, significant roll-off or degradation of the television signals may occur in cable systems due to the poor high frequency propagation properties of standard cable lines especially at and above L-band. Broadcasting a received broadband A-V signal over an existing cable network at lower carrier frequencies may prevent the use of that network for other A-V signals, such as standard cable, CATV, UHF and VHF television signals, or may require that some of the broadband signals or existing cable signals be eliminated due to the bandwidth restrictions of the cable network.
One system proposed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in the area of Satellite Master Antenna Television (SMATV) receives a QPSK modulated satellite television signal (which may be combined with terrestrial TV signals) and remodulates this signal according to a 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (64-QAM) technique. The SMATV system then sends this remodulated signal out over cable to one or more adjacent buildings. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,775 discloses a system that remodulates data portions of a satellite television signal from one modulation scheme to another, such as from FM to AM, for retransmission to subscribers. However, these systems do not specifically demonstrate how to propagate remodulated satellite signals and existing cable or terrestrial signals on the same cable line or other transmission channel in an efficient manner or demonstrate how to remodulate and broadcast a large number of transponder signals associated with one or more satellites over the same cable line or other transmission channel to one or more adjacent buildings.